Sonic the Hedgehog The Immune
by Spectura
Summary: Sonic the Hedgehog is just 14 and lives with his family, Sonia, Manic, and his mother Queen Aleena. A strange disease surfaces and quickly becomes scary. A questionable organization known as T.M.C.A.E.F. begins rounding up mutants in a desperate attempt to keep them from getting sick, they also catch Sonic. When his big brother rescues him, he becomes one of the many immune hunted.
1. Trapped

A 14 year old Sonic the Hedgehog lay silently in the pitch blackness of the abandoned facility. He had been here for many weeks. He was trapped in a containment tank, and had been left behind when the facility had been abandoned. His claws gripped the cement floor as he crawled along the base of the tank, looking for a way out. He'd searched this tank from top to bottom many times already, but he still hadn't given up.

The blue hedgehog brushed his lips along the glass, seeking even the slightest of cracks, the tiniest of chips, the chink in its black armor.

After circling the tank at least five times, a sudden pain in his lower lip told him he'd finally found it. He licked off the blood and brushed his finger back through the area, finding an opening where something had fallen from the ceiling and cracked the glass. This facility had been falling apart when the blue speedster had been dragged here, and now it was collapsing on top of him.

The facility was called T.M.C.A.E.F., pronounced Timsafe, where many people like Sonic had been dragged when the disease became scary. The government didn't want a mutant to become infected and cause the disease to mutate within it's body and make it even more deadly, so the President decreed that any and all mutants be rounded up and brought to The Mutant Containment And Elimination Facility, where countless people were brought and executed or left to die. Tails wasn't brought here, thank the gods, since he wasn't a mutant, he actually fell under the category of "deformed" since he simply had an extra tail.

Sonic was here though, and he was dying of hunger. They had taken everything from him, even his gloves, socks, and shoes and replaced it with a hospital gown that was too tight around the neck area to take off. Most people in T.M.C.A.E.F. were either dead or close to it. The ceiling had completely given out in the B-Wing, where many people had still been alive. Those that weren't crushed or fatally wounded had escaped, but none of them had even tried to rescue anyone. No one had come to save them, no one.

Sometimes Sonic wondered if anyone still thought about him, or if anyone even cared that he was starving to death in an abandoned facility.

"Tails... Tails.. Help me.." he'd whimpered once in despair. He hadn't done anything like it since. He hadn't even let out a simple noise. He'd gone silent. The agony of being alone had muted him. The dusty blue hedgehog had stopped hoping his friends would come for him many weeks ago.

Sonic drew back, then lunged forward, slamming his body against the weaker part of the tank. He repeated this action over and over again, slowly widening the crack. He paused his actions, blood dripping down his forehead, to stick his fingers through the hole, pushing through until he couldn't anymore. He could push his whole hand out, the glass only denying movement about three or four inches past his wrist.

 _The glass is_ strong _dammit._ He mentally cursed. He drew himself back again and resumed attacking the glass with the weight of his body...

Half an hour had passed when the glass gave out completely, shattering as the blue hedgehog slammed into it once more. Sonic skid across the floor, riding out the remnants of his momentum with the glass shards, leaving him cut all to pieces. The shock of it all forced him into unconsciousness.

When he woke, he stumbled to his feet, leaning on the walls around him. The glass bit into his feet angrily, like it was angry that he'd escaped, and the air was so much more clean, it wasn't stuffy and warm, it was cool and refreshing. He limped out and blinked in the darkness, trying to see something.

Nothing. His eyes couldn't adjust to this kind of darkness. It was a thick, soupy blackness that wouldn't budge. The azure coughed slightly as the dust he'd stirred up dived down his throat, making his eyes water. Feeling along the walls, the hedgehog began to try to find a way out. He didn't find a door, but he did find a light switch.

He braced himself, and flipped it. The room lit up around him, revealing many other tanks, each filled with a dead and decaying body. He covered his mouth in shock, horrified that he'd been surrounded by the dead for weeks without knowing. Each corpse's face was twisted into an agonized expression, as though they were in terrible pain when they died. Many people had blood all over their faces, like they'd been bleeding from their eyes, ears, nose and mouth. Sonic's eyes were still adjusting as he stumbled through the room, realizing that his tank was in the back, and he had to go to the front to get out. He tried with all his strength to not look in the tanks as he tried in vain to run to the door. When he found the metal barricade, he pushed against it, but it didn't budge. He looked about for a reason why, and found that he needed a keycard to get out. The glass window in the door was partially blocked with what looked like a spray-painted X, he didn't understand, but tried to look past it anyway. Right outside, lying against the door, was another body, covered in blood from where his stomach had been torn into, guts out for the world to see. It was a guard of some type. In his hand he held an old red spray paint can. Sonic backed away from the door, stomach heaving. He had just seen his limit of gore and death. He doubled over and released a torrent of bile onto the white marble floor of the facility.

Sonic cried as he cowered against the bottom of another tank. He was scared, he didn't understand. He felt like a lost pup, didn't know what to do, where to go...

A sudden screech from the hall made him jump. He stumbled to his bloody feet and peered out the window in the door. At the end of the hall, in flickering light, was a _Monster_. That was all Sonic could think to call it. It resembled a mobian with no fur, and sickly grey, almost white skin. It was covered in blood, dirt, and various other things the frightened furry couldn't recognize. His green eyes widened as it sprinted oddly to the door. He ducked down, hiding from the creature. He heard a thump, then a series of smaller noises. He stood and hesitantly peered out again, only to sink back to the floor in a horrified shock.

The creature... was _eating_ the corpse. Sonic was terrified. The thing outside the door screeched like a banshee, then continued gorging itself. More of the monsters came, and reduced the corpse to a bloody skeleton. After they finished, they seemed to linger, sniffing the air.

And the door that Sonic was hiding behind.

Sonic hugged his knees to his chest, shivering like a pup in the snow. His ears pinned back, and his tail tightly hugging his feet. The sound of one of the monsters sniffing the crack below the door made Sonic cover his mouth to hide his whimpers. Something _wet_ brushed against his tail. He slowly turned his head to look down, and almost screamed at what he saw.

One of the beasts was trying to lick him from beneath the door, it's bloody tongue stretching out to leave a nasty wet patch on the dusty blue appendage. Sonic bit his own tongue trying to hide his whimpers. A thump above him caught his attention, and he looked up to it. Another couple of monsters were staring at him through the window. Their gorey mouths slightly ajar as they seemed to stroke the window, their claws leaving small scratches. Sonic let out a shaky breath and resumed his previous position, staring straight ahead in terror.

This seemed to excite the monsters, they slammed against the door, causing the terror-stricken hedgehog to release a terrified squeak. Before too much longer, they cracked the glass, and then broke it, their pale, furless arms reaching in to grab at his ears. He flinched lower and began to cry again. In the corner of the room, a computer lit up with a jingle. Sonic twitched his ears and studied it closely. One monster's pale, bloody hand clasped around his ear and pulled softly. Sonic leaned the other way, rescuing the velvety tip. The monsters were unable to open the door as of now, so Sonic crawled a few paces before standing and limping over to the computer.

It was a camera monitoring station, on the screen was an image of the auditorium that was empty. Then the screen changed to view a small hallway, a man was there, wearing a hazmat suit. Sonic typed feverishly, hacking into and gaining control of the camera's movements, which he had once had Tails teach him to do. He turned the camera to look at the man, who had by now paused and started to inspect a bit of debris that had fallen through a hole in the ceiling above. He picked things out and either tossed them aside or pocketed them. Another man was searching the rooms around his companion. Sonic turned the camera to get a better view of the man's face, when said man suddenly stopped and began watching the camera with interest. The man turned and made several signals to his companion outside the door and then pointed at the camera.

"Someone's alive in here!" he called softly. Another man walked through the door.

"How do you know?"

"The camera there. All the others sweep side to side, this one just stopped doing that and started watching me."

The second man approached the camera curiously. "If you're alive, sweep the camera up and down. Then look back at us."

Sonic did so. The men seemed startled. "Oh my gods... Oh my gods someone's alive in here!"

"We will be back soon. We're gonna go get help, we'll find you, just hold out until we get back." the first called to him. Sonic moved the camera to show he'd heard them. They turned and scurried out the door.

"Well, that was different." Sonic said softly, his voice raspy and painful. The monsters moaned softly, reaching for him through the window. Sonic ignored them and used the cameras to follow them men out, gasping softly a he saw the sizable group of around fifty people outside that they went to speak with. He strained his ears to listen to their conversation.

"Dude, someone's alive in there!"

"How do you know?"

"We made contact with the cameras! We noticed one camera acting differently than the others, so we told it to do something to show if it was alive or not, and it did! There's someone in there!"

"What's the chance it's a mutant?"

"There's no way it's not. That place is so full of Pales that any normal person'd be dead long ago."

"Manic, you know that going here is a risk anyway, it might not even be him."

"Dude, if there's any chance that that's my brother, I'm taking it. Whether or not you dudes come, I'm going in." The green hedgehog informed his companions, then turned back to the door and marching in. Three or so others hurried to follow.

Sonic gasped, tears beginning to well up in his eyes. Manic, his big brother(older than him by 2 years), was coming to get him. Sonic began to try to hack into the speaker systems, it took a few tries, but he got in. He used the speakers to lure the "Pales" away from his brother, and using the cameras to guide Manic to him. The Pales outside the door, only three of them, wouldn't leave. No need to worry though, since his brother was already in the hall with them, picking them off with a silenced pistol. Sonic rushed to the door and peered out.

"Manic!" he yelped out in a desperate whisper. His big brother sprinted to the door, still wearing the big bulky suit.

"Oh Gods... Sonic! I told them, I told them you were alive in here!"

"Manic! Get me out of here please!"

"You can't get out?" the green hedgehog gasped, horror in his eyes. He'd just found his brother, but couldn't get to him yet.

"The door needs some kind of keycard, I don't see any in here."

"Don't worry bro. We'll find one and get ya out... Oh gods... You're so, you're so thin!" the green hedgehog almost began crying at his baby brother's skeletal arms and legs, most of his body was hidden by the tight hospital gown.

The others that had accompanied Manic in seemed shocked to see Sonic.

"W-wow, someone really is alive."

"What are you dudes waiting for! Split up, find a keycard!" Manic barked at them, then scrambled to obey. "Sonic, bro. I'll be right back. I promise! Stay back away from the door until I get back, 'kay?"

"O-okay. Don't do anything stupid..."

"Don't count on it, but I will be back for you. I promise." and with that, the green teenager reached in and hugged his younger brother, being careful not to tear his suit on the glass.

Sonic waited anxiously for his brother to return, watching him nervously from the camera station.

* * *

 ** _"I will be back for you. I promise."_**

Sonic smiled as his brother searched his third office, knowing his brother always kept his promises. Sonic blinked as his brother lifted something small in his hands, inspecting it closely.

 _A keycard._

Manic jumped over the desk and hurried back, gathering his friends as he ran. Turns out they'd found multiple keycards, so if one didn't work they had another to try. Manic began trying each one. He swiped the first, and the light blinked for a minute, before shining red with a low beep.

That one didn't work.

Neither did the next, or the one after.

Before too long, Manic was getting frustrated and desperate.

The next was denied as well. Manic frowned upon the last one. "If you don't work, I'm gonna bust this damn door down by myself, alarms or no." he snarled at it, before swiping it.

The light shined green with a _Be-beep!_ and the door popped open.

"The _last_ damn card.. You're fucking kidding me, right?!" the others laughed softly, trying to not catch a Pale's attention. Manic shoved the door open and grabbed his little brother, pushing something against his neck.

"M-Manic.. What are you doing?"

"Just making sure you're not sick, but even if you are I ain't leaving you here."

The scanner buzzed softly and spoke in a feminine voice: _"Subject is: Healthy"_.

"He's... healthy? How in the hell-" a woman fussed.

"Dude. Don't question it now. Question it later, when we aren't in Pale country." Manic scolded.

"Er... right. Sorry."

Manic nodded softly and pulled something out of his pocket. It was a Gas Mask.

"We've found that these actually filter out the virus as well as gas, so here, put it on."

Sonic nodded and obeyed his brother. Manic walked around his to tighten the strap, while a few of his companions walked over to the camera station, and the others stood guard.

"Ah, so you _were_ the one luring the Pales away from us."

"Yup." Sonic said through the mask, his scratchy voice muffled.

"Can you even walk on those feet?" Manic asked, concern for his little brother making his voice soft. The blue hedgehog glanced down at his feet, they were scratched and bloody from limping across shattered glass and metal debris that had been scattered around the room.

"I think so."

"You're sure? 'Cause I'll totally carry you if I need to-"

"Just pick him up. We don't have time for this. If he starts bleeding heavily from walking on those feet, every Pale from here to what's left of Kingdom Acorn'll come running." Another hedgehog snapped. Manic sighed and lifted his brother in his arms like a toddler to rest on his hip, leaving said younger hedgehog blushing nervously.

Sonic clung to his brother as they fled the broken facility. A loud shriek startled them, and Manic turned to see a Pale at the end of the hall, sprinting towards them.

"RUN!" the woman screamed. Manic turned and charged for the door, carrying his brother through countless halls before they finally made it outside.

* * *

Thankfully, no one was lost. Manic laughed out loud in joy and swung his baby brother around in his arms. Sonic laughed as well, his voice muffled by the Gas Mask. After he finished, Manic smiled at his brother as he removed his suit and stuffed it into a bag.

"Manic, we can't stay here, get him in the truck and let's go!" a stiff looking dog snapped at him.

"Geez. Chill dude. If you hadn't seen your little bro in years you'd do the same thing." Manic chided, "And by the way, _I'm still your prince_ , so if you talk to me that way again... _I'll cut your legs up so bad you_ can't _run and leave you in the town square at_ midnight. **_Got it?_** _"_ he snarled, carrying Sonic over to said vehicle and placing him in the backseat.

"Y-yes Lord. I'm just a bit nervous that's all. Please forgive my rude outburst."

Manic scoffed before he turned back to his brother, "Get comfy bro, it's gonna be a long ride. I'll tend your wounds when we get there, too dangerous here. Blood attracts them, after all. Ma's gonna lose it when she sees you."

"W-why?"

"She thinks you're dead, bro." Manic informed him, climbing into the driver's seat and slamming the door shut, "She got all depressed when she found out that you'd been dragged here. She almost declared war when she found out they'd ditched the place." Manic chuckled, starting the truck. He waiting until he was sure all the others were either in the back or in another truck. No one wanted to be in a closed space with a possibly sick mobian. Even those who had seen the test show him to be healthy were reluctant to share personal space with him. Sonic yawned and asked, "Is it okay to take the mask off now?"

"Yeah bro, it's fine."

"Great, this thing is-" he cut off as he removed the item, " _uncomfortable!"_

Manic laughed, driving down the road after the others.

Sonic listened to the other's conversation through the walkie-talkie that sat on the dashboard.

"Mike, call back to base camp and tell 'em we're bringing back a live one."

"Yeah sure. What else should I tell them?"

"Uh... No casualties, no damages to equipment, and we're bringing back a mutant that is healthy."

"How do we know he's healthy?" another man said quickly.

"I was there when Manic tested him, he's healthy." the woman said.

"What if the scanners can't pick up the mutated strain?"

"You say it like you know he's sick."

"He was in a all red facility for weeks! How the hell is he not?"

"Mike, call it in. Mutant has been scanned clean."

"'Kay."

Sonic lowered his ears, feeling oddly hurt.

"Manic, you got anything to say on this topic?" The Nay-Sayer asked.

"Yes, I do." Manic said, lifting the item to his muzzle, "He's my brother. He's coming back with us sick or not."

"You're aware that your decision could kill everyone at base camp?"

"You're aware that you're paranoid, right bro? We're bringing him back, on my authority. Anyone else that say's otherwise I'll personally plant my foot up his midriff in front of his best buddies."

Sonic smiled slightly, unaware that Manic was watching his through the rear-view mirror. The man scoffed, making Manic chuckle.

"Is he always like that?" Sonic asked quietly.

"Yeah, more or less."

"Okay. How much longer 'till we get there?"

"A couple hours. Just take a nap or something, that's really the only time consuming thing you can do in this tin-can of a truck." Manic smiled, playfully smacking the wheel.

Sonic yawned and nodded, "I think I'll do that. Wake me when we get there..."

Manic smiled as his little brother sprawled out on the backseat.

* * *

Sonic woke to Manic opening the truck door. "Mornin' sunshine! We're home." the green hedgehog teased. Sonic rolled his eyes and stretched, feeling warmth fill his limbs, and wincing at the pain in his feet. A sudden commotion made him a bit nervous, a young orange monkey was sprinting towards him.

"OhmygoshManicisthishim?" She practically threw the words at him.

"Dude, slow down, speak like a normal Mobian."

"Is. This. Him?" she repeated, pointing to Sonic.

"What do you mean?"

"Is this the mutant that is immune to the virus?"

"Uh, I don't know if he's actually immune or not, but he is the one we saved. He's my brother."

Sonic blinked as the woman thrust her face into his, examining his eyes and mouth. She began mumbling, then grabbed his hand and tried to drag him off to somewhere when Manic yanked his little brother away from her.

"Dorothy, I know you want to make a vaccine, but _please_ leave him be for a bit. He's only _just_ got here, he _needs_ to _eat_ and his feet are cut to _hell."_

"But-"

"Dorothy. As the prince of this kingdom, I _command_ you to leave my brother alone!"

"Oh fine!" Dorothy whined, before she stormed off.

"W-what was that about?" Sonic asked, his spines had raised to show his nervousness.

"That, my brother, was Dorothy. She's a scientist who's hell bent on making a vaccine for the virus. When she heard about you she almost lost her mind."

"Oh."

"C'mon, let's tend to your feet, and then let's go get you some food."

Sonic twitched as his brother cleaned the cuts, whimpering slightly as his hands gently removed any leftover debris ("Sonic, how the hell did you walk on these? Look, you've got a piece of glass the size of my claw still in your foot!" "I-I don't know... Adrenaline?") Once they were bandaged, Sonic managed to get a look around.

The building before them was obviously a hospital, although many windows were boarded up the trucks were hidden in a small forested spot a short ways away from the hospital. Sonic could see people watching him through the windows that weren't blocked.

Manic went to lift him when someone behind him cleared their throat. The green hedgehog turned to see a small, cream colored rabbit pushing a wheelchair towards them.

"Hello Mr. Sonic! Mother says to say hi!"

"C-Cream?" Sonic stuttered, overjoyed to see his little friend alive and well.

"Yes Mr. Sonic. It's me! Mother's on her way, but she'll be awhile, she's got a hurt foot. Mr. Mike said that you had boo-boos on your feet, so I brought you this Mr. Sonic."

"Thank you, Cream." Manic smiled at her, before picking up Sonic and placing him in the wheelchair.

"I could'a gotten down on my own..." Sonic fussed.

"Chill bro. Your feet look like they went through a blender, your not gonna walk for a long while if I have any say in it."

"But-"

" _But_ nothing."

Sonic whined and gave his brother his best Bambi eyes. Manic made a mock-sour face and looked away. ("Don't look at me like that! You _know_ I hate that look!" "But Manic...!")

Having had his Bambi Eyes fail him for the first time ever, Sonic pouted and sulked as his big brother wheeled him to the building...


	2. Reunited

_I couldn't get this to show up on chapter 1, so I'll put it here._

 _This story will be the sonadow version, I'll put up another non-sonadow version eventually (for the non-sonadow lovers)_

* * *

Sonic woke to the sound of screams and sat bolt upright. The large T-shirt he wore, which actually belonged to his brother, was piled around his stomach.

"W-what was that?"

"Don't worry bro, just the Pales outside." Manic soothed him, wearing only his boxers, "Yeah, I know it's loud and irritating, but you'll get used to it. Try and get some sleep."

"Okay." Sonic mumbled, lowering himself back into the covers, fixing his shirt. He listened for awhile, curious. His ears twitched as he heard them speak to one another.

 _Eat! Food inside! Eat! Little Brother!_

 _Little Brother! Food! Little Brother is with Food! Find Brother!_

"Manic?"

"Yeah bro?"

Sonic rolled on his side to look at his brother, "Is... is it normal to... to understand them?"

"What do you mean bro? I'm not following..."

"I can understand them. The Pales outside. Like I can understand you."

"Woah bro, that's a little strange. Don't tell anyone about that, okay? For your own safety."

"Okay." Sonic said softly, snuggling back into the covers of his own bed. Manic watched him for awhile, worry plain on his features.

* * *

Sonic woke the next morning with Dorothy in his face again, startling him.

"Gah!" He yelped, jumping and hitting his head on the headboard of his bed. Manic, who was sprawled across his bed, instantly jumped bolt upright with a knife in his hand.

"DOROTHY! GET OUT!" Manic roared at her after he realized what had happened. The girl scrambled off of Sonic's bed and sprinted headlong out the door. Sonic sat motionless on his bed, confused.

"She knows no bounds, I swear one day I'm gonna bust her lips. She needs to learn respect for her betters."

"What do you mean by that?"

"We're still royalty, Sonic. She needs to understand that."

"Oh, right..." Sonic smiled sheepishly.

Manic smiled at his little brother, he was too innocent for his own good. As a fighter, he often hid his true self behind a mask of cockiness, like nothing was scary. In truth, though, he was a very gentle person, very sweet and kind and innocent, easily scared. Manic had always felt a powerful sense of protectiveness towards his younger sibling. Manic sighed and climbed out of bed, walking over to lift his younger brother in his arms and place him ever so gently in the wheelchair, handing him a pair of sweatpants.

"Let's go get breakfast, then we'll hopefully see Ma." the green hedgehog sighed as he dressed himself.

"Where is mom anyway?" Sonic asked, pulling said pants on.

"She's currently away on a mission, but she's suppose to be back today."

"Cool. Wanna take bet on how fast she'll cross the cafeteria?"

"Ha. The only thing to bet on here is food, and I ain't gonna take any from you. You need it more than I do." Manic said gently, tickling his baby brother's pitifully thin belly as he said so as if to make a point of his skinniness. Sonic yelped and shoved him off guarding his belly with both hands while pouting at his brother. Manic chuckled and wheeled his brother to said cafeteria.

* * *

Sonic stared at the amount of food Manic had piled onto his tray. The green hedgehog had gotten Sonic's tray then went back for one for himself. Sonic started with the juice box, draining that after only a few swallows. (God knows they never put enough in those little boxes anyway.) Then he lifted the fork and twirled a few strings of the spaghetti on it and ate that quietly as well.

He was trying his hardest to ignore the people all around him staring. It was making him uncomfortable, he wanted Manic to hurry back. The whispers of said people around him made his eyes water, but he swallowed it down and kept eating.

"He's the freak, isn't he? The one from T.M.C.A.E.F.?"

"Yeah that's him."

"He's gonna get us all killed. He's probably sick and hiding it."

"Oh I'm sure his brother's already sick."

"Sick bitch."

"I'm gonna kill him tonight. Anyone in?"

Sonic froze at the last comment, suddenly feeling very scared. He swallowed what he had in his mouth without tasting it.

Manic sat down next to him with a soft thud. "Bro, why haven't you eaten much?"

"I want to go back to our room, Manic. Please."

"Why?"

"One of those people over there is talking about murdering me tonight. I'm scared. I want out of here."

Manic became very still, turning slowly to glare at the group of men who had been whispering. They were all leaning in and murmuring quietly. One man was displaying a large knife. Said man glanced over at Sonic, before quickly noticing Manic's narrowed stare. He hid his knife and quickly finished eating and left. The other men did the same.

"I don't think I'll be sleeping tonight." Manic growled. Sonic pushed against him and whimpered. The green hedgehog wrapped his arms around his little brother and nuzzled him. "When Ma gets back I'll tell her that we need to leave. She and I have been talking a lot about this place, and It ain't all it seems to be."

"W-what does that mean?"

"The people that are in charge of this place are... well, controlling. You do as they say, they'll let you stay, you don't, and they kick you out."

"That sucks."

"Ha. Tell me about it. Finish eating. I won't leave you again."

"Okay." and Sonic did. By the end he felt over-stuffed and uncomfortable, but his brother was satisfied.

Manic stood and pushed him back to their room. He set Sonic on his bed and crouched to tend to his feet again. Sonic whined softly, whimpering at the pain in his paws.

* * *

Aleena sighed as she rested her head on the window of the truck. She would be back with Manic again soon, and they could discuss searching the T.M.C.A.E.F. facility and where to move to again.

"Milady?" her general, a darkish blue hedgehog with black tiger-stripes and a tiger tail, asked from the driver's seat.

"Yes, John?"

"I've just received word that your son Prince Manic has found and rescued Prince Sonic."

"W-what?!" She yelped, sitting upright very quickly, "Speed up then! Get us home!"

"Yes Milady." he smiled, speeding up.

* * *

Sonic heaved over the toilet, vomiting. The doctor rubbed his back and murmured gently to him.

"Ssh, ssh, it'll be over soon. You shouldn't eat so much after starving for so long my young lord." she said softly.

"Yeah, I can see that-" he managed before puking again.

"It's my fault. He didn't want to eat so much, but he did because I asked him to. I was unaware that eating large quantities after starving wasn't a good idea." Manic sighed.

"I understand. Try to keep him eating things that will be gentle on his stomach, since it will be very sensitive for awhile yet. Things such as plain rice, white bread, nothing with many spices and flavorings. Small quantities of food and drink are okay, but nothing more now than what can fit in one hand. If he eats too much now," the doctor cut off as Sonic gave another violent heave, "he will be in serious risk. Refeeding syndrome is a dangerous thing my lord."

"Okay. Thank you for coming in such short notice."

"That's quite alright. Call for me again if you need to."

"Thank you again."

The doctor nodded and left. Manic leaned against the door frame until his baby brother finished getting sick, then took a napkin and wiped Sonic's mouth ("Manic I can do that myself!") and lifted the blue hedgehog up and carried him to bed. The blue hedgehog blushed as his big brother tucked him in.

"Manic, I'm not a little kid. I can do these things myself now."

"I know. It just reminds me of the days when everything was normal except you."

Sonic rolled his eyes and yawned. The green hedgehog smiled down at his younger sibling, before bending down to hug him.

* * *

The door opened quietly as Queen Aleena peeked in, glancing about. Her eyes landed on the two and grew wide and round as saucers. Her two remaining pups were locked in a tight hug, her older pup murmuring gently. Sonic smiled and nuzzled his brother before the two parted and Manic pulled the blankets back up from where they had been disturbed. Aleena stumbled in, her eyes glued to the blue teen, who took notice of her and smiled.

"Mom!"

"Oh, Ma, you're back!" Manic laughed. Aleena didn't say anything. She just stared at Sonic, a moment passed in a thick silence, ending when she fell to her knees. Tears welled up in her eyes and she took a deep breath, trying her hardest not to cry.

Sonic, her youngest child, was here, and safe.

The blue speedster kicked free of the covers and limped over to his mother, collapsing into her arms. She responded with a tight hug of her own.

"Mama, I missed you..." Sonic whimpered out to her. She took a shaky breath and held tighter.

"I-I'm here now baby, I'm not going anywhere, and no one is gonna take you from me again..."

* * *

Sonic wiggled against his mother's body. Aleena and Manic had been sharing the room before Sonic had been rescued, so he had to share the bed with his mother, which was something he hadn't done since he was a pup. He shifted again and relaxed, fully aware that there were around twelve guards in the room with him. His brother and Mom were also wide awake and armed, waiting for the men who had spoke of killing him.

Aleena jerked quietly next to him, making Sonic freeze like a deer in headlights. The doorknob was slowly turning. The guards drew their weapons as Aleena and Manic sat up and the blue furred prince tried to sink further into the mattress.

The door opened slowly, and a man charged in, only to skid to a stop upon seeing the guards, and he turned to flee. John flung his hand out and grabbed the intruder by the shirt and fling him to the floor, where he was quickly relieved of his weapons and hogtied. Sonic twitched his ears as the sound of footsteps in the hall, the man's accomplices were also fleeing.

Sonic wiggled down further into the covers as if to hide from this man, the man that wished to kill him. Aleena pulled the blankets up around her thin and frightened child and tucked him in more snugly, his wide eyes spoke of how frightened he truly was, he'd never had a person try to kill him before. Aleena gently kissed his forehead.

"Milady, what do you wish for us to do with _him_." the soldier pronounced 'him' the same way you pronounce 'this dirty piece of shit'.

The queen stood from her bed and walked over to the man, lighting a candle as she did so.

Her slender peach fingers removed the gag and she spoke very softly, "Why did you want to kill my son?"

"H-he's sick. He's s-sick and h-hiding I-it. He's g-gonna kill us-s all..." the man pitifully answered. He was shivering violently in the general's grasp.

"Are you aware that my son has already been scanned clean?"

"Y-yes."

"And are you also aware that the penalty for attempted assassination of a royal is Death?" she smirked. She was a feared queen for a reason. Well respected, but also one to fear.

"N-no! Please!" he blithered.

"John, take this _thing_ to the bathroom and carry out his punishment."

" _Gladly_ My queen." the general smiled as his tail lashed, he dragged the man out with a wrathful look upon his face. Two other guards accompanied him.

"Good riddance." one guard sighed.

"Couldn't have said it better." another laughed. Aleena nodded and returned to her bed, pulling her youngest close to her chest. Sonic shifted and nuzzled into her fur, breathing in her scent. She smelled like flowers, and home.

He drifted off...

"Ma?"

"Yes Manic?"

"I need to speak with you. In private." the green hedgehog said, his voice held an air of urgency.

"Alright. Let me get up." the queen said quietly, untangling herself from her sleeping child. A glance at the guards confirmed that she was indeed leaving and wished for them to stay and she left.

Once they were both out, Manic led his mother to a quiet spot where they were safe to talk.

"Something happened in the lab I got Sonic out of. I think that the people tried to kill the mutants."

"Why?"

"The air of the facility itself was safe, but in each of the containment tanks, all the mutants were dead with proof of the virus having killed them."

"H-how so?"

"They were all covered in blood, dead, and they had no wounds. They'd bled from their eyes, nose, mouth, and ears."

"Good gods..."

"That also means," Manic cut off quietly, "that Sonic was directly exposed to the virus and he survived it. If the survivors here tell someone from any remaining government out there, there'll be a huge manhunt. They'll try to take him from us."

"I see. That means we must leave quickly. Is there anyone you think we should bring?"

"Well, there was a doctor here that wasn't frightened to get close to him. And I also think that Sonic knows a little girl that stays here."

"Oh, well. We'll see if they want to come with us when we leave."

"Alright Ma. I'll send a soldier to ask both of them."

"Good. Leave John here to protect Sonic and I if need be. The other soldiers are to follow your commands. John will too, he's just staying to protect us."

"Ma... You sound like... You're putting me in charge for good?"

"I might be. It depends on how the people here react to us leaving. If they get aggressive-"

" _Then Sonic will need us both!_ Under _NO_ circumstance will you do anything irrational! My little brother needs us, Ma! You even more than me!" his scruffy hair for once not blocking his blazing almond eyes.

Aleena paused, eyes wide. Her ears twitched to a commotion behind them.

Two guards were trying to gently pull Sonic back to their room. His wounded feet bleeding some, the bandages reddening slowly. The blue hedgehog was trying to go to the window it seemed, his eyes were in a daze as he mumbled inaudibly.

"Guards! He's sleepwalking! Pick him up if you must!" Manic barked, "If he falls out that window he's dead!"

The guards reacted to that, lunging forward to pick up the stumbling hedgehog. As the blue teen seemed to fold into their arms, Manic began to understand what he was saying.

"No more... please... Let me out... of this... cage... I'm scared, please..."

"We'll take him back to his bed, Milady and My Lord."

"Good. Make sure he doesn't get out of bed again, awake or not." Manic said stiffly, the soldiers aware he wasn't particularly pleased.

"Yes My Lord." they said, not meeting his gaze.

* * *

Aleena returned to the room silently, tip-toeing over to hers and Sonic's bed and gently shifting him so she had room to climb in next to him.

"Aleena..." John said softly, knowing that they were alone and no one would hear them, for the youngest prince was deeply asleep.

The queen stopped and turned to her general, "Yes John?"

"Will you ever tell them?"

"I don't know. Just don't tell them until I decide to, okay?"

"Alright. Sleep well." he sighed. He turned to gaze out the window and imagine a different world.

* * *

Sonic woke to a rather loud storm, thunder roaring and lightning flashing. He flinched down into the covers and tried to wiggle closer to his mother. Her body was warm and solid against him, and helped soothe him back to sleep as he burrowed gently into his mother's belly fur.

Aleena smiled softly at her son, who was still ever so slightly nervous during thunderstorms. Her ears lowered as she shifted to wrap her arms around him and pull him close. The blue hedgehog purred to his mother and yawned.

"Mom?"

"Yes dear?"

"Manic told me about how you guys were talking about leaving here, and I was just curious... where would we go?"

"Anywhere. We would travel until we found somewhere safe to stay."

"Okay. Can I ask you something else?"

"Yes dear, you can always ask anything."

"What exactly is a Pale?"

"You don't know?"

"No. I only ever heard of the sickness. The first time I saw one, let alone heard of them, was when they were trying to get me through the door at T.M.C.A.E.F."

"Oh, this must all be a huge surprise to you then. What do you want to know?"

"Just, anything helpful?"

"Well, a 'Pale' is just a name we came up with. They're actually sick people. They are sick with a disease that mutated from the NC109 chemical. It's like a hybrid between the chemical, rabies, and something else. They can be killed just like you or I, but they tend to travel in groups so they're usually hard to take down, even more so when you're alone."

Sonic said nothing, only pushed closer to his mother with a whimper, "They won't get in here will they? They really freak me out..."

"Not in this room, but they have gotten in before, which is why we're leaving soon anyway. The hospital isn't safe, and the people here are idiots. They won't leave and they aren't even defending it correctly. We're safe in here though. John and the other guards will protect us."

Sonic wriggled down into the covers and yawned again, "What's left of everything? Er... Is there anywhere that's surviving?"

"Well, not specifically, except for the shelter in Soleanna. Princess Elise seems to be doing a good job of keeping her people together, or so it seems. The other places are surviving to an extent, but most are now rule by frightened cowards and heartless fools."

Sonic yawned and wiggled again, now too tired to ask any more questions. Aleena smiled down to him, pulling the covers up more snug about his thin, boney body.

"My poor baby, you've been through too much." she sighed, "Just eat, sleep, and get stronger. Don't worry about anything else."

The next morning, Sonic woke to a scuffle in the room. Dorothy was bouncing about trying to evade the more than skilled guards. However the more than skilled guards caught her very quickly.

"Okay! Okay! Chill! Let me go!" She screeched. John growled and threw her out of the room, and she very quickly ran off. Sonic yawned and shifted, the warmth of his mother's belly was very pleasant, and the thought of going back to sleep was inviting...

The door opened and the doctor, Miss. Lucy, her name was, walked in while also chatting with Manic about Sonic's condition.

"- and usually if this were a normal world he'd be in a hospital and considered to be in critical condition. _But_ we don't have any hospital equipment, so we'll have to do this the old-fashioned way. We'll have to schedule regular feeding times for him, and we'll have to be very careful about what he eats and especially we have to make sure he doesn't get hurt. Those scratches on his feet need to be closely monitored, cleaned everyday, and given fresh bandages every time they're cleaned."

"Alright. We'll be better off now that you're coming."

She smiled softly at Sonic as she opened a first aid kit and brought out some disinfectant, some antiseptic cream, and gauze, "Well, couldn't stand to see him like this."

Sonic blushed slightly, the pink obvious on his pale face. His green eyes slightly dull with hunger and sleepiness. Miss Lucy smiled again and set about tending to his wounded feet. The young blue rodent whimpered in pain as she cleaned the wounds with rubbing alcohal. He pushed his face into his pillow and mewled. John chuckled softly and Aleena stroked his head with a smile on her face. Manic had turned and began talking quietly with Miss Vanilla and Cream, since they would be coming along as well.

Sonic shifted in the backseat, waiting for the others to get in the truck. The person in charge of the Hospital was trying to convince them to stay, and she was getting on Aleena and Manic's last nerves. John, who was waiting in the driver's seat, decided to pass the time teasing Sonic by making funny faces in the rear-view mirror. The blue hedgehog smiled softly, amused by the generals antics. The hedgehog-tiger smiled and continued with his silly game until Sonic began making faces back. Then the general (teasingly) pointed a finger at him through the mirror and said in a deep, comical voice, "You better be careful young man, I'll get you."

"I'd like to see you try!" Sonic laughed, a wide grin on his face.

John turned around in his chair and reached back, trying to grab the blue pup's shirt, " _Here I come_! You better be ready!"

Sonic squealed with laughter and dived to the floorboard, burrowing into the blankets piled down there. The general stretched and managed to grab him by the shirt and pull him up and into the front seat and across his lap, where the blue hedgehog pup was promptly tickled.

 _"No! No! Hahaha! Stop! I'm gonna pee! Stop! Hahahaha!"_ Sonic yelped, face red as he tried to defend himself from the playful general.

Aleena watched with a warm smile as her general played with her son by making faces in the mirror.

"You better be careful young man, I'll get you." John said in a deep voice.

"I'd like to see you try!" her pup laughed back. Then John turned around in his chair, trying to grab her son, who quickly ducked down in the seat, but not quite fast enough. Her pup was pulled over the seat and held down as he was tickled like a little child. And like a little child he squealed and laughed and begged John to let go with the famous "I'm gonna pee!".

John released the youngest prince, who dived for the backseat with a playful giggle. "Be careful, don't throw yourself around too much, okay Sonic?"

"Okay John," he said between giggles, "That was fun."

"Yeah, it was, wasn't it?" John smiled, his eyes seemed to glow with father-like love.

"Yeah. but I did almost pee on you, just so you know." Sonic smiled.

"Really? Good thing I let go then."

Sonic giggled in response, then released a huge yawn and shivered. Manic walked over and spoke quietly to John.

"Hey, we're gonna be leaving here soon. Start up the truck."

"You got it." The tiger-hedgehog smiled, turning the key to start the engine. The truck, a pretty orange that wasn't too particularly bright, sputtered once then gave a deep rumble.

* * *

Sonic snoozed against his mother's side as the truck drove through the newly renamed Stormy Ruins. It had once been a large city, but now was a large sprawling pile of toppled skyscrapers, skyscrapers that were leaning, and ones that creaked ominously. The blue hedgehog stretched and whined in his sleep, kicking slightly a moment after. Aleena looked down to him and frowned softly.

"N-no..." Sonic mewled, his fists tightening around the edges of his mother's shirt, which she hadn't noticed he'd grabbed it until now.

"Ma, is he okay?"

"I think he's having a nightmare." the purple queen leaned down and pulled her youngest into her lap like she would have a young child, and he curled against her chest.

Sonic calmed as the scary visions faded with the sound of a steady heartbeat. His dreams had been haunted by the sight of the Pales, and had dreamed that he'd been placed in a containment tank with one of them, and it had been trying to eat him.

 _Bu-bump!_

The sound of the heartbeat was much better, yes. Much better.

 _Bu-bump!_


	3. New Home

**Sorry It's been awhile, had writer's block, I'll work harder on updating better chapters soon 'cause this one's a bit short**

* * *

Sonic woke to Miss Lucy shaking him softly awake.

"It's time to eat, wake up." she smiled softly to him. Sonic sat up slowly, looking through the windows at the world around him. A toppled skyscraper lay parallel to the trucks, and a wide clearing, littered with bits of rubble, was being used as a resting spot for the traveling group. Sonic yawned and stretched, his blue ears, with black tips, twitched at the sound of his backbone popping.

"About time you woke up." John teased him, "don't know if it's a good thing or not, but there's too much rubble here for you to use your wheelchair, so I'm gonna carry you over to where the others are, 'kay?"

"Okay." Sonic smiled, scooting over to the edge of the seat so John could pick him up, which the halfbreed did very gently.

"So, anything you want to eat?" the tigerhog asked quietly.

"Nothing Lucy'll let me eat," the blue hedgehog whined, slumping into his general's arms with a shrug, "'cause chilidogs have spices and stuff that she said was off-limits..."

The tigerhog laughed, the sound resonating through his ribcage, vibrating through the blue teen's body. Due to his heritage, John was a tall man, with wide shoulders and rounded black ears. His limbs were muscled, but not too big, and they were adorned with thick jagged stripes. His head had the shape of a hedgehog though, with a peach muzzle, round eyes and long quills that hung majestically off his head and shoulders.

As Sonic gazed about the clearing, he began to notice other changes to familiar people.

Cream's hair had grown out, and now hung to her shoulders. It was a pretty blonde-brown that was pulled back into a braid from the side of her head, her bangs hung down from her face in a pretty fashion.

Creams mother, Miss Vanilla, did indeed have a broken leg, but it was in a walking boot, so it must be almost healed right? Other than that, the kind old lady hadn't changed... aside from the gun at her hip, anyway.

Aleena had changed drastically, her long hair was cut in an ever so slightly choppy fashion, must have been done herself, and she wore shin-guards on each leg. She also wore a gun at her hip as well, and another on her back, and a knife on her boot. She wore a pair of old jeans and a slightly baggy grey t-shirt. The queen was also cooking over a fire, which was something she didn't do often. She usually avoided cooking, although she was very good at it.

Manic held a stiff air about him, he was currently having a stare-a-thon with the back of everyone's head, seemingly searching them for signs of some unknown threat. His bangs had been brushed out of the odd looking boomerang shape and now held a more hair-like appearance, but if you looked hard at the edges, you could see the crook.

Sonic's thought were interrupted when John put him down on a pillow, and propped his feet up on another pillow. The blue furry blinked, unused to being pampered in such a way. John laughed softly at the face the blue hedgehog gave.

"What?"

"I just... I've forgotten what it's like to be pampered." the blue pup laughed.

"Ah... Well, we'll have to fix that, won't we?" the tigerhog smiled softly. Sonic briefly wondered how the mix-breed intended to spoil him in the midst of what so far appeared to be an apocalypse. The blue hedgehog's thoughts cut short when his mother sat down next to him and held out a spoon filled with broth.

"M-Mom I can feed myself!"

"Are you sure?" she smiled, her gentle green eyes sparkled as she teased him softly. Then she handed him the bowl and sat down next to him. "So, how are you doing?"

"Mm-hmm!" Sonic mumbled through his spoon, eagerly devouring the said broth. His mother laughed softly and patted his boney shoulder.

* * *

Sonic wriggled in the tight sleeping bag next to his mother, he would have to share until they could find another for him. He pushed his muzzle into his mother's belly, trying to block out the screeches and wails of the sick.

 _Food! Eat! Eat! Hungry!_

 _Food runs! Chase it! Chase it! Eat!_

The blue furry jumped at the sound of distant gunshots. He wiggled and looked up at his mother, who had sat up and peered out the window of the truck. John, who was laying on the floorboard did the same, with a gun in one hand, of course. More gunshots then a distant, strangled scream told Sonic that whoever it was, was most likely dead and/or being eaten. Yes, as the blue hedgehog was horrified to learn, the Pales eat other people, and each other if they get hungry enough.

"Get down!" John whispered urgently, ducking down back to the floorboard. Aleena did the same, pulling the top of the sleeping bag over her's and Sonic's heads, hiding them both. A loud, very nearby scream made Sonic jump.

Then the truck shook. The Pales were jumping around like hooligans in the back, shaking the whole vehicle. Aleena nuzzled the blue hedgehog next to her and looked at John, who shook his head.

Sonic pushed against his mother's body and closed his eyes, wishing they would leave. He shivered when one of the monsters rammed against the rear windshield.

It was going to be a _long_ night...

* * *

When the group set off again, everyone in the orange truck had a few more bruises than they'd originally went to bed with. Miss Lucy spent almost twenty minutes _ranting_ about the youngest prince's bruises. Sonic relaxed after she finished, then blinked when he was wrapped in a blanket by the General.

"One of our guys was a professional combat weatherman, and he says it's gonna be a little cold today. Sit still for a sec." John smiled, wrapping the blue hedgehog in a snug bundle, nuzzled him, then tucked a pillow under his head. "Have a nice nap."

Then the tigerhog climbed back to the front seat and started up the truck.

"Hey bro!" Manic smiled from the window, "Rough night last night, eh?"

"What do you think?" Sonic mock-growled at his big brother, who smiled sheepishly and shrugged. The blue hedgehog wiggled down under the cover a little more and closed his eyes, letting out a deep sigh.

Slowly, and with multiple sleepless nights, a week passed.

Sonic had put on a little weight, but not as much as Aleena would have liked. Manic kept being the big doofus that he was, and John and his mother had been arguing on and off. It was really confusing how they would be best friends one minute, and then arguing the next. One day in the truck, Sonic casually asked:

"Mom? Why do you and John argue so much?"

Aleena seemed surprised by the question, but answered nonetheless.

"Well... You see... Uh, we've just been stressed, that's all. We fuss, yes, but we don't mean it."

"Are you sure? You guys really get into it sometimes..."

"Yes, darling. John and I have been friends since I learned how to walk. We're just having a hard time deciding where to go, because we can't stay in the open forever."

Sonic nodded in understanding, then asked, "When do you think we'll find a place to stay?"

"I don't know darling. It may be _tomorrow_ , it may be _next year_."

Turns out, they found a place rather quickly. It was a huge cave that could be barricaded easily. Aleena sent a large group of people to see if they could find the back and to explore any tunnels that branched off.

Luckily enough, there weren't many Pales, and the scouting team came back with no wounds.

"The cave goes back about this far," the scout explained, drawing a detailed description on an empty map, "and we have one tunnel that branches off this way, it's got a pool at the end of it. Can't say for sure how clean the water is though."

"Alright, are you sure the cave has been cleared?"

"Yes, lady. On my life it's clear."

"I believe you," she turned to another man, "Max! Tell the others to bring the vehicles in. Ella! Take some soldiers and go start on a barricade. We're making this our camp."

"Yes Ma'am!"

"On it!"

* * *

Manic helped his little brother out of the truck and into his chair, which he then promptly wheeled further into the cave to escape the ever cooling autumn winds. Aleena smiled softly and reached for her cape, which she wrapped around him like a blanket. He smiled back and nuzzled into the soft fabric, purring gently.

"I like your cape, it's warm." Sonic mumbled sleepily. The night before had been hectic, they'd almost lost two men to a pair of Pales that had broken a window in a two-seater vehicle. The car's alarm had gone off, which attracted _more_. To escape, both men had jumped out of the glass roof and ran off into the forest to hide. They had reunited with the group the next morning, sore and tired.

"I'm glad you approve." she teased, ruffling his head quills. Sonic stuck his tongue out at his mother, who looked back in playful shock, eyes wide and mouth open, the corners of which were ever so slightly lifted into a smile. Her expression softened again and she patted his head, leaving to finish her duties.

The blue hedgehog quickly grew bored, since there wasn't anything a teenager without the use of his legs could help out with.

So, of course, he fell back to pestering people.

"John?"

"Yes?" the general replied.

"What are you doing?"

"Helping out with the barricade." the tigerhog grunted the last bit as he pulled on a bit of twine, tying together a pair of young saplings to make the inner barricade.

"Won't saplings bend when they're pressed on?"

"Yes, but these will be on only the inside, the outside will be stronger and won't bend."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." the general replied patiently.

"What'll it be made of?"

"Wood and stones."

"Stones?"

"Yes, flat ones."

"Where will you find flat ones?"

"We'll carve them out of the walls here."

"Won't the cave collapse?"

"Not if we're careful."

Sonic smiled, his friend was very patient. "What are you going to use to cut the stone?"

"Whatever we can find." he was obviously having a hard time focusing on his job now. Sonic couldn't help but giggle softly. The general paused, then turned back to look at him, "You little _cheat_ , you were _trying_ to distract me!"

Sonic burst out in laughter, ears turned back. John turned and pinched his fluffy blue ear gently, and growled in mock anger, " _I'm_ working to keep _Pales_ from getting to _you_ , and _you're_ trying to _distract me_? I oughta tie you to that goof of your brother and make you pester _him_ instead."

They both laughed when Manic called out, "You'd better not!"

* * *

For the first time in awhile, Sonic was allowed to walk on his own two feet, even if his brother and Miss Lucy followed him like hawks, always in arms reach. His feet were sore, and he had to be careful about where he put his feet in the uneven stone floors of the cave.

His eyes fell upon his "prey", a soldier by the name of Phred, he was a huge, hulking dog that had often helped the blue teen whenever he had trouble. He limped quietly up behind the dog, who was trying his hardest to not doze off at his post, the blue hedgehog was intent on scaring the _daylights_ out of him.

Once he was within reach, he crouched slightly, like a cat, and leapt onto his friends back with a playful squeak. The dog howled in surprise and flailed about as a pair of thin, muscular legs tightened around his shoulders and arms wrapped loosely about his collarbone. More soldiers came running with their weapons drawn thinking a Pale had gotten in, but soon fell to pieces laughing as they saw the "innocent" blue hedgehog grinning as he clung to the massive canine's head, being swung around like a bull rider.

He was _so_ going to be in trouble with Mom when she found out what he was doing...


	4. Lost again

**I'm getting lazier and lazier... i'm sorry guys... I should try harder... send me ideas please...**

* * *

Winter set in, ruthless and cold, driving the group of survivors further into the back of the cave. Food became an endless demand, since there never seemed to be enough of it to go around. John, being the fatherly kind of guy, often gave up his own meals for Sonic, Manic, Aleena, or any of his men that didn't have the food they needed. He became very thin. Everyone did really, but him more so.

Sonic also became weak. Having never had the amount of body fat that everyone else did, he was at risk as well.

"Ma. Wake up. We're out of food." Manic mumbled softly, trying to not be too loud and cause panic among the soldiers, many of which were already very thin.

Aleena sat up tiredly, already wanting to lay back down.

"We need to send out some hunters, see if we'll be lucky today." she murmured, "Remind me when spring comes that we need to move again." The queen stood and stretched, gazing about. The back of the cave was littered with small black patches where the men had fires going the previous night. The sleeping bags all around were filled with tired Mobians who were half-starved, and the thickest that could be seen was shared by two mobians.

Sonic and John. The two, freezing cold, and curled up together to try and stay warm. Aleena felt tears prick at her eyes. Her baby was so close to dying, and her general... her _friend_ , wasn't far behind him.

* * *

Winter's over, it's spring! *cough*toolazytowriteit*cough cough*

* * *

Sonic shivered as a cool breeze leeched the warmth from his skin. He'd barely survived the winter months. He was luckier than some, though. They'd lost quite a few soldiers to cold and starvation. Roughly one-fourth of them were gone, including Phred. The azure colored prince had mourned him deeply, losing his appetite for a whole day, which scared his family. Scarily enough, some soldiers suggested as a last-option, that they could eat the dead bodies. Sonic had half-mindedly avoided these men, he didn't mean to, it just kind of... happened.

The soldiers had just finished packing when a loud scream echoed through the air, and a pack of Pales charged from the forest. The blue hedgehog yelped when he realized that one was heading towards him. He turned to run to the truck, fully knowing he wasn't strong enough to make it.

Something colided with his side, knocking him down, where he curled into a ball and squeezed his eyes shut. Several loud screeches above him, and a foot smacking his shoulder indicated something had happened. He opened his eyes to see that the Pales had run past him, chasing a soldier who was trying to rescue a young apprentice. The blue hedgehog tried to stand, but froze as a shadow loomed over him. He looked up slowly.

A Pale, the size of Phred, stood over him, growling lowly and drooling. It's bloodshot eyes stared at his small frame, seemingly trying to make it's disease-addled brain function long enough to figure out what he was.

He looked like a Pale, but had hair. He smelled like the sickness, but wasn't sick. He wasn't growling, he was whimpering. His eyes were bright. Maybe he had just changed? The new ones always acted strange...

The Pale growled louder and reached down to him, grabbing his thin scruff and pulling him to his feet, off his feet, into the air.

 _"Little brother..."_ it hissed in his head. The only sound from it's mouth was a strangled yowl.

Sonic didn't know what to do, what should he do? An idea struck him and he decided to test it. He growled lowly, hearing his own raspy voice in his head.

 _"Yes?"_

The sick Mobian put him down, seemingly convinced he was one of them. It turned and sprinted off to join a feeding-frenzy where the other Pales had taken down the soldier and his apprentice. The blue Mobian turned to his head slowly, looking for his family.

The clearing was empty. They had all run, and he had been lost in the sudden chaos.

He heard a sick tearing noise and turned, his pitiful stomach churned as he saw the Pales rip off the apprentice's arm. Sonic began to back away, aiming to hide in the forest, when one Pale left the frenzy, drenched in blood. It was carrying a lump of flesh in it's gorey hand. The sick creature dropped it in front of him and ran back, diving into the bloody remains. The blue hedgehog continued backing away, until he turned and hurried into the forest.

He didn't know how far he went, but it was very far. The mountain the cave was in was a pale smudge in the horizon when he finally collapsed in exhaustion. He panted heavily as he tried to sit up, but wasn't strong enough to. He was weak, and starving, and an easy target. This was not good. He needed to find a place to hide before he rested, but he couldn't seem to move. He had no energy left.

 _"Brother?"_

Sonic turned to see a Pale standing on the edge of the clearing, looking at him with... concern? Did it have feelings? Was it worried about him?

 _"What is wrong, Brother?"_

 _"C-can't move..."_

 _"Hungry? Want food Brother?"_

Sonic managed to turn his head to look fully at it, and cringed. It was a child. Small, maybe 10 or 11 years old. Female.

 _"Sister will find food for Brother!"_ it squealed, turning to run into the forest, small, purplish form vanishing into the bushes, it's scrappy dress hanging limply from it's body. Sonic let his head slump down onto the leaf-littered forest floor. He closed his eyes, trying to relax. He felt like he'd just barely closed them when the Pale returned, presenting to him an arm, which she crouched in front of him and shoved the upper part in his mouth.

 _"Eat Brother! Be strong!"_

A painful realization hit him. He had no choice.

* * *

-(guess who it is!)-

* * *

 _Where am I?_

 _So cold..._

 _It's too dark, this isn't right..._

 _I'm so hungry, what should I do?_

 _Where are the others? Are they trapped here too?_

 _...Wherever this is..._

 _So tired... so..._

 _...tired..._

* * *

The azure furry was struggling to stand when night fell. He was thoroughly ashamed and disgusted with himself for doing what he'd done previously, but refused to dwell on it though. The young Pale was still with him, seemingly waiting for him to lead her somewhere. He remembered Manic saying they travel in groups, so that was probably why she was still with him.

 _"We go home now?"_ the young Pale growled to him softly.

 _"Where is home?"_ Sonic asked softly.

 _"Grey-Stone-Place!"_ she yowled excitedly, turning to run in another direction before she sprinted back to him, _"Come Brother! Come home!"_

The half-dead hedgehog reluctantly followed her, she was, surprisingly, his only chance of survival right now. He would die out here alone... How ironic; Sonic the Hedgehog, hero of Mobius, relying on a sick, maddened, _flesh-devouring_ _child_ for survival.

Trekking through the woods was hard in his condition, but he had no choice. It was still cold at night, which was dangerous for him in his condition. The azure hedgehog was still weak, and close to death, but he kept going. He had no choice.

* * *

 _I'm awake again._

 _It's still cold, It's a little lighter though..._

 _What is that? Is that a person? Why do they look so thin?_

 _Is that... blood?_

 _Need out... so hungry..._

 _...need food..._

 _Or chaos energy... whichever I can find first..._

 _Maybe an... emerald..._

 _...so tired... sleep first..._

* * *

The "Grey-Stone-Place" the young Pale had spoken of was a broken-down G.U.N. base, which was indeed grey, and completely _**Overrun**_ _._ Sonic was reluctant to enter, but as it got colder, he knew he had to go inside. Although dangerous, the Pales were feverish, and would generate lots of heat. In a small room, this would make a sort of living heater. A heater that could kill him if they figured him out, yes, but a heater he desperately needed.

The child-Pale followed him the whole way, staying strangely close to his heels. As the furry looked about, he began to figure out why. The others were staring at her hungerly. She was smaller and weaker than they were; a perfect target for a hungry Pale. Sonic snarled at a moose that lunged at the girl and kicked it, sending it skidding across the ground with a fierce _**"**_ _ **NO!**_ _ **"**_ and pushed her away from it. The other Pales quickly backed away, deciding not to deal with the "new-turn" that that was _incredibly_ strong. Sonic could give them credit for this small sign of intelligence.

Sonic eventually made it to the entrance, the creatures keeping their distance. The girl, who Sonic had decided to call Jessie, now was able to keep a comfortable distance from his side. The blue hedgehog stumbled inside, holding the door open for his new follower, who hurried in.

After what felt like hours of wandering around the compound, Sonic found a rather, intriguing sight: A giant pillar that rose almost to the ceiling, there it stopped. The whole thing was covered in a giant black-out screen.

 _"What is it?"_ Jessie asked quietly, small, round, bald ears pushed forward.

 _"Let's find out."_ Sonic growled in return, reaching towards the sheet. He gripped it gently, but tightly at the same time, and slowly pulled it off.

His eyes watered, his body shook, his mind went blank.

"S-Shadow...!"


	5. Learning the Truth

He spent a long time looking at the black hedgehog that was floating in a tank of sorts. He was still alive, but a little thin. Not nearly as thin as a Pale or Sonic himself, but he was thin nonetheless. The black hedgehog opened his eyes briefly, before closing them again. The monitor, on a nearby computer that still functioned, read that Shadow had just fallen asleep. Sonic went over to the computer and jiggled the mouse, alerting the computer to his presence. It hummed softly, the darkened monitor brightened.  
The computer was already logged in as another G.U.N. agent, so the azure prince didn't have to hack it. That would have taken forever because he wasn't as tech-savvy as Tails.  
The hedgehog briefly wondered about his little brother, where was he? Was he okay?  
 _Focus hedgehog!_ he scolded himself. _Shadow needs help. Wait, what if he can't blend in like me? Will they attack him? I can protect a small Pale, but what about a healthy adult? Could he be sick already? What do I do?_

* * *

 _...Faker?_  
 _...you look so... sick... what's wrong with you?_  
 _...and the girl? Who is she? What's wrong with her?_  
 _Where am I? Get me out of here. I'm so hungry..._  
 _….please..._

* * *

 _I can't leave him here, sick or not. If there's any chance he's healthy, I have to try to save him!_  
Sonic pushed down any fears he had, jamming the "Release" button a little harder than necessary. A whirring noise behind him echoed quietly, making Sonic sprint to close the doors. The liquid in the tank drained, and clamps lowered the tired Ultimate Lifeform down to the ground, and released him.  
Jessie stared at him, much like the other Pales had stared at Sonic. Like, she couldn't figure him out. Didn't know what he was.  
"Shadow?" Sonic asked, kneeling at his friend's side, "Shadow? Are you okay?"  
"Ughnn..." was said hedgehog's response.  
 _"Brothers are speaking strange. Why speak strange Brothers?"_  
 _"Because we can, what I do is my business. Relax."_ Sonic chided.  
"Why... the hell... are you growling, Faker?"  
"I'll explain later Shadow, but you gotta get up. It isn't safe here."  
"What happened to you? You're a fucking skeleton..."  
"Get up. I said I'd tell you later. Get up."  
A screech and a crash against the door told Sonic that the other Pales had come, following the noise from the machine.  
"Oh no... we gotta go! _Now_!" Sonic yowled, grabbing Shadow's arm and yanking him to his feet. The black hedgehog glanced around and looked back at Sonic with confusion in his eyes. Sonic grabbed his hand and commanded Jessie to follow him before sprinting down the hall and out the doors there. Shadow stumbled along behind for a moment, before he sped up until he was the one leading the quickly-weakening blue hedgehog.  
 _Faker's not gonna be able to run for long..._ Shadow thought, _I need to find a place where we can hide._  
Shadow swerved to the left and into a small office room, pushing Sonic into the chair for him to rest and pulling the little girl in too. He didn't understand why she looked the way she looked, but if Sonic felt safe around her it must not be that bad. Shadow closed the door gently, and leaned against it.  
A terrifyingly loud horde of Pales crashed through the corridor, rattling the doors and lights. Sonic wanted very badly to hold his breath, but his weak body couldn't afford it. He was stuck gasping and panting, trying to regain the breath he couldn't hold. Shadow stared at the blue hedgehog's thin, seemingly dying self. How was he so thin? What had happened?  
Once the horde had passed, Shadow relaxed off the door, listening to Sonic's less heavy, but still ragged breathing.  
"Explanations, Faker, you said you'd tell me."  
"Sure," _pant_ , "just... gimme a," _gasp_ , "moment." Sonic murmured, "Ho'kay... Well, I don't know too much about it myself..." _pant_ , "There's this disease, it's a hybrid of, like, three different things. One of which is rabies, the other is a chemical of sorts, NC190 or something-"  
"NC109. It's a chemical they were using to test a new cancer treatment."  
"Well, this is what it does to you." Sonic said, gesturing to Jessie. The Pale was staring the two, twitching and leaning slightly to her left.  
Shadow looked at the girl, then back at Sonic, then back at the girl again. The child's pretty Jaguar self had no fur, dull eyes, and old blood stains all over her ragged dress. The black hedgehog's mind began to piece things together, to find a theory.  
Rabies. Typhoid Fever. NC109. G.U.N. and T.M.C.A.E.F.  
The Laboratory Accident. The Fire.  
The Elimination of every mutant at T.M.C.A.E.F. with the failed drug.  
Sonic was at T.M.C.A.E.F.  
He survived. He got out.  
He was immune.

* * *

"So, does any of this make sense to you?"  
"Yes. I know exactly what's happening now." Shadow murmured. His mind was still reeling with the discovery of Sonic's immunity, he was trying to think of what all could have caused this change in Sonic's immune system that made him immune to a deadly mixture of chemicals and diseases.  
None of this made any sense. Best not to dwell on it now, he _needed_ to get Sonic somewhere safe. He was still at risk here, even if he could blend in.  
Shadow was naturally immune to it, due to his Black Arms DNA, he was immune to almost everything on Earth and Mobius, but other Mobians would be attacked by the Black Arms DNA if he tried to use his own blood to make a vaccine.  
He needed Sonic's blood. _Mobius_ needed Sonic's blood, but Shadow found himself ever so reluctant to jump straight to using Sonic. The black hedgehog knew Sonic hated needles, Labratories, and the likes. How would he do this?  
"Shadow."  
"Yes, Sonic?"  
"Hey, you used my name!" Sonic chuckled tiredly, "We should get going. Staying on one place for too long in suspicious to Pales."  
"Are you sure you're ready to move? You look like you'll fall down any moment."  
"I'm fine, Shads, staying active is gonna at least keep me conscious. If we stay too much longer, I'll fall _asleep_."  
"Let's try to stop by the mess room while we're here. You need to eat."  
"So do you." Sonic smiled, rising to his shaky knees. Jessie growled softly to him.  
 _'"Brother. Where do we go now?"_  
 _"Away. We go away from home. You are not safe here, neither am I."_  
 _"Brother is not brother, is he? Brother is very smart food. Sister will help Very-Smart-Food. Very-Smart-Food has helped Sister."_  
 _"Call me Sonic. Not Very-Smart-Food. I am not food, either."_  
 _"Okay Sonic."_

* * *

Shadow led the weak blue hedgehog through the winding halls, watching his every shaky step the blue hedgehog made. "Jessie" as Sonic had named the sick child, followed close behind like she was nervous. Her long tail dragged the ground behind her. The Ultimate Life form doubted the hedgehog's failing strength, although the blue hedgehog insisted he could make it. His breathing was getting heavier, and his legs more shaky. Shadow reached out to steady him, but Sonic pulled away with a strange growl. Shadow paused for a moment, confused, why would Sonic snarl at him like that? The black hedgehog shook his head as he pushed open the double door that was the entrance to the base's mess hall.  
The mess hall lived up to it's name thanks to the Pale horde that had run through. Everything in the center of the room had been trashed. Tables were broken in half, chairs were flattened, one had it's leg jammed through the wall, the kitchen was mostly intact though. So that's where Shadow carried Sonic, who's strength had finally failed.  
Jessie seemed nervous, eyebrows pinched together in concern for the Mobian whom had protected her. Shadow was also scared for him, although he would never admit it. Sonic's breathing was raspy and weak, his heartbeat irregular, his body limp.  
His eyes were wide open, and dead. He was growling softly between gasps.  
Had he just... turned?


	6. In the Open, Again

Shadow stared down at him nervously. Without Sonic to control the girl, what would she do? Would she attack him? Would Sonic attack him? He slowed down some, focusing more on the hedgehog in his arms than anything else.

"Put me _down_." Sonic's wheezy voice sounded. "I told you I can manage on my own."

Shadow breathed a sigh of relief.

"What?" Sonic half grumbled half snapped, pulling out of his arms. His voice was cracking and airy, like he was in pain.

"N-nothing, I just... It's fine."

"Hmph." Sonic grunted quietly, stumbling into the kitchen. Shadow followed quickly with Jessie close behind, as always. The Ultimate Lifeform felt the small surge of adrenaline slow, allowing him to relax again. The azure hedgehog collapsed again halfway into the kitchen, the silver swinging door banging shut on his pitifully thin body, threatening to tear the bruising skin. Shadow rushed forward and pushed the door off, holding it open with one hand as he reached down to help lift Sonic up. The prone hedgehog glared at the hand looking slightly offended.

"When I didn't help you, you'd fuss and say I was an emo. Now that I am helping you, you glared at me like I've insulted you." Shadow smirked. Sonic made a strange face up at him.

"It just reminds me of how weak I am. I don't like it." he whined softly, the strange look changing into a sad one.

"I'd feel bad too, but it wasn't your fault. Come on, get up. The longer you stay down there, the weaker you get." Shadow informed him gently, which was something he rarely ever did when he spoke to the blue hedgehog. Sonic took his hand and stumbled gingerly to his feet.

 _"Sonic is dying. Sonic's heart is slow."_ Jessie mumbled to him, reaching past Shadow to put a red-stained hand on his peach colored chest. Her glazed eyes looked at the fur between her fingers with sorrow, then looked back at the hedgehog whom she had befriended.

 _"Sonic will be fine."_ Sonic said gently, finding it strange to speak in third-person, but did it nonetheless.

 _"No Sonic will not. Sonic is dying. Little Sister can smell death on Sonic. Sonic is going to die."_

The blue hedgehog shivered slightly at the thought, pulling away and limping into the kitchen (leaning heavily on Shadow). The black hedgehog picked him up like a toddler and set him on the counter, again, much like a toddler. The blue hedgehog fussed him off, telling him to "let me handle myself". The ebony hedgehog began to rummage about through the cupboards, counters, fridges and pantries, gathering up food that he could easily get Sonic's stomach to accept. Plain white bread and the likes.

The blue hedgehog was quickly deteriorating, he sprawled out on the counter, feeling very tired, letting his body go limp on the cold metal counter. His eyes felt heavy, and his breathing slowed. He dozed off until Shadow was done, which panicked both the ebony rodent and the Pale alike when they noticed him sleeping. They'd thought he'd begun to die.

Once they'd gotten him awake and coherent again, Shadow spoon-fed the weak blue hedgehog bread that was soaked in milk for what felt like forever. Really, it had been only fifteen minutes or so until Sonic finished the bowl. His small stomach couldn't hold any more after one bowl though.

The trio spent many days in there, almost a month, trying to build back Sonic's strength.

Although spring was almost over, a snowstorm hit, freezing the building. The group could no longer stay at the compound though. The Pales would not brave the snow to feed, and were getting very hungry. It wasn't safe to stay. The small group would most likely end up being eaten if they tried. Although they could blend in, Pales felt no heartache when they ate another of their kind during hunger times.

Shadow took a thick, warm blanket and used that to wrap Sonic like a child, which did not please the blue hedgehog at all, as well as quite a few belts and straps that he found. He used the belts and straps to tie Sonic to his back, where he would be safe and warm.

"Shads! I can walk!" Sonic had yelped when Shadow had told him his plans.

"You're still very thin Sonic. It would be better off if you didn't burn any calories by walking. That, and you'd be close enough to share body heat with me, so you won't get dangerously cold." Shadow had responded easily. He'd already figured that Sonic would claim he could walk on his own, so he had this whole conversation already planned out.

"But-"

"No 'but's Sonic. This concerns your very life. Be quiet." The Ultimate Lifeform said almost before the azure hedgehog had said 'but'.

"Mmf!" Sonic grumbled, laying his head on Shadow's broad shoulder as the black hedgehog was finishing up. The hedgehog carried his companion (and led the young Pale Jessie) out the mess hall and down the dark, broken-down halls of the G.U.N. base. The halls were mostly empty, except for a few Pales here and there that stared them down hungrily. As he neared the edge, he came across other Pales, who stared hungrily at the weak hedgehog that was tied to the ebony hedgehog's back.

-xxxx-

Sonic clung tightly to Shadow's warm back as the blizzard attacked them mercilessly. His blue ears flattened against his skull as he pushed deeper into his friend's fur and the thick blanket. His body ached with cold, and Jessie was very unhappy with their decision. She complained to Sonic multiple times, but he ignored her, focusing more on keeping his thin body warm, which was getting increasingly difficult. Shadow glanced over his shoulder as Sonic wiggled lower.

"Are you alright?"

" Y-yeah I gue-ess, I'll jus-st be better w-when we fin-nd somewhere to s-stop."

" Don't fall asleep okay?"

"Yeah... s-sure."

Shadow watched him for a moment longer, the blue hedgehog's body was shivering at a surprisingly fast pace, his face was pale, and he was getting frost on his quills and fur. Jessie was no better, her small body was just as vulnerable as Sonic's, and she was falling behind slowly. Shadow turned and grunted loudly, and the young Pale looked up at him, her dull eyes exhausted. She tried to hurry and catch up, but tripped in the deepening snow.

Jessie whined at him and turned around, heading back to the compound. Shadow made no move to stop her. It was her choice to die.

* * *

They'd made it as far as the city's edge when the blizzard eased up, the pair took refuge in an old mall, Shadow untying the weak blue hedgehog and curling up with him beneath a large piece of rubble that had fallen from the floor above them.

Sonic wiggled and burrowed deeper into Shadow's fur, trying his hardest to stay warm. The black hedgehog stared owlishly at him for a moment, before relaxing and gazing about. The whole place looked like it had been bombed. It probably had been, considering the craters in the ground. the whole place seemed empty, abandoned. By this time, Sonic had passed out completely, and was snoring quietly into his chest-fur. Shadow shifted slightly, trying his hardest to not wake the younger hedgehog.

Sonic mumbled inaudibly as Shadow shifted under him, his dreams were strangely calm. hr dreamed that he was in a field with Tails, working on the Tornado. His green eyes shifted beneath his eyelids as he murmured.

 _"Tails, you almost done over there?"_

 _"Yup, give me one sec-"_

 _The blue plane sputtered to life and the propeller began to spin quickly, chopping up the grass beneath it._

 _"Alright!" the two brothers laughed in triumph, high-fiving. Sonic hooked his arm around Tails's neck and ruffled his bangs, still smiling. The two-tailed one mock-growled and pushed Sonic off. They climbed into the Tornado and flew off..._

Sonic opened his eyes, surprised to see he was alone, wrapped tightly in his blankets in an old mall. He looked around still trying to wake up.

"Shadow?"

No answer. He looked around again, catching sight of a note that was right in front of him.

 _ **Sonic,**_

 _ **I've gone looking for food, chaos knows we're both starving. I'll try to be back soon, stay where you are unless that will get you killed.**_

 _ **Shadow**_

Sonic blinked in surprise, he had honestly not realized his hunger until now. He was very hungry now that he thought about it. He wiggled down into his blankets and closed his eyes again, hoping to doze back off, but something kept him awake. Something was missing... Someone was missing. Jessie. He picked up his head again and looked around, rolling onto his belly. Maybe she'd gone with Shadow? No, Shadow didn't know how to speak to Pales, and she wouldn't just follow him.

"Well, I guess I'll just wait until Shads gets back." he murmured to himself, letting his head slump back down into the mass of blankets. His blue fur shining in the weak sunlight that filtered in through the many cracks in the ceiling. He yawned slightly, fangs in full view as he stretched his jaws. He let out a small whine as he shut his mouth, half-open eyelids partially hiding his beautiful emerald-green eyes.

When Shadow returned, Sonic noticed he was alone.

"Hey Shads? Where's Jessie?"

"She went back to the compound, I didn't stop her." The ebony hedgehog murmured, eyes flicking to Sonic's body a few times as he settled down to cook a wood grouse he'd caught while he was out.

"Why not?"

"I didn't want to risk you by stopping in that blizzard." Shadow mumbled, "For all I knew, you could've been dying of cold on my back."

"We can go back now, right?" Sonic asked him hopefully.

"I would rather not. We don't know if they've gone out yet, or if they're still there eating each other." Shadow replied as he removed the feathers from the bird, gutted it, and put it on a spit above a fire he had just started.

Sonic merely grunted and let his head drop back onto the blankets.


	7. She

After they ate a bit, the two sat in silence in the mall, Sonic curled among his blankets, shivering now and again from the slight breeze that came from outside. Shadow however was fiddling with a radio that he'd found while looking for food. He was switching out batteries left and right, rearranging the antenna, trying to make it work. He'd been doing this for awhile now.

"Shadow, I think it'd be obvious if it doesn't work by now, then it probably isn't going to work ever." Sonic mumbled, ears flicking to the sound of Shadow trying again to contact someone.

"Sonic, calm down. It'll be fixed soon. Anyway, I don't want us to be alone out here. We need to find a group to travel with." the ebony hedgehog pressed the button on the side again, "Hello? Is anyone there? Is anyone there?"

Sonic rolled his eyes, letting out a tired huff. Hours passed like this, Sonic often tried to sit up, but Shadow would always make him lay down again. After a while, Shadow switched the AM PM toggle and tried again, with an almost instant response.

 _"H-hello? Are you still there? However was calling a moment ago?"_

"Y-yes. I'm here. Who are you?" Shadow said quickly, turning to give Sonic a triumphant grin. The blue hedgehog's ears perked again, boney body shifting him closer as he worked to hear what the person was saying. Their voice was very familiar...

" _It's Rouge. Rouge the Bat._ _Gods it's so good to hear another live voice. Where are you at?"_ the radio crackled, threatening to drop the connection.

"The remains of the mall in… in..." the dark hedgehog broke off, trying to remember the new name of Station Square.

"Stormy Ruins." Sonic offered with a chirp, sprawling out in the nest of blankets he was confined to.

The black hedgehog parroted back the information, "Stormy Ruins. We're in the broken-down shopping mall in Stormy Ruins."

" _You're joking! What store?"_ the jewel thief sounded excited, peaking the hedgehogs' interests. Shadow stood and walked to the front, peering into the dark halls before stepping out to examine the sign.

"Gerry's Used Books. That's where we are." Sonic blinked at Shadow's words, eyebrow's furrowing. They weren't in a bookstore! They were in an old shoe store. The bookstore was on the other end of the hall- _Wait._ The radio wasn't secured. Anyone with another radio could hear what they were saying. Anyone. Including bad people.

When the black hedgehog returned, Sonic squirmed into a sitting position. Shadow glared at him, "Lay back down. You need rest."

"I've been resting for hours Shads, I'm sure that two minutes on my rear won't be too bad. Besides, I'll get bed sores if I lay around too long." the young speedster retorted matter-of-factly. The black hedgehog growled in frustration.

"It takes longer than a few hours for a pressure sore to form." Shadow informed bluntly, glaring sideways at the boy, who blatantly ignored him.

"I can't keep laying around Shads, I'll die of boredom." he sighed, "How long am I gonna be skinny?!" he whined, not really wanting an answer. It had been nearly a year since his escape from the lab, and yet he was still underweight. Life was screwing with him it seemed.

"No idea." Yep. Life was screwing with him. Why else would he get stuck with Shadow of all people? "Here, eat this." Shadow commanded, pushing a piece of the now cooked wood grouse into his hands. "Put some meat on your bones."

Sonic grumbled as he took the offered meat, taking a bite. All too soon, his frustration was forgotten as he ate quickly, practically inhaling the morsel. Shadow watched him in silence, saddened by the other's state. The teen seemed more needy and socially-dependent since his escape from the Labs, but that was to be expected as far as Shadow was concerned. He'd been trapped in the lab alone for a long time. Sonic had never done well when left alone for long periods of time.

The click of hurried footsteps at the end of the hall sent the black soldier into a rush, putting out the fire and ushering Sonic to the back of the store. Shadow grabbed a brick from a rubble pile and stood near the entrance, watching for whoever it was. Should this person prove to be a threat, the hedgehog had no qualms with taking them out.

However, he lost the willpower to do so upon seeing the real Rouge the Bat, hurrying down the halls towards the book store. Stepping out, he called to her, "Rouge! Over here." The white bat paused, ears turned forward towards the black male she hadn't seen in years. Shadow noted her clothing, smiling as he remembered how a year or so ago she wouldn't chastised anyone who'd worn such attire. She wore a red button-up plaid shirt and some muddy jeans. The breastplate from her old jumpsuit was crudely stitched on the front. A deep crevice in the pink heart signaled that it had saved her life at some point.

"Shadow-" she managed, her voice breaking as she ran to him, throwing her arms around him in a tight hug, "I though G.U.N. locked you up? How did you escape?" The dark male's response was was to turn and call Sonic from his hiding place. The boy leaned around a shelf to look at the newcomer, his face producing a bright smile at the sight of her.

"Rouge!"

"Oh my goodness Big Blue! Look at you!" her voice was half joy, half pain as she pulled him into an equally warm hug, "You're so thin!" she rubbed his shoulder as she let him go, "Oh, why did we let them take you?"

"They threatened to lock you up as well?" Sonic offered with a shrug, grinning as Rouge nodded.

"That was probably it."

Shadow decided to cut in, "Alright, you two can keep chatting, but quiet down. Sonic, you need to finish eating." the dark male turned back to the still-hot embers, piling a few bits of wood onto it. The flames stubbornly resisted resurrection for a short while, but once he got it going Shadow resumed his self-appointed job of guarding his companions. Sonic had dug into one of the legs of the cooked bird, his skinny frame heavily accented by the dancing light of the fire. Rouge set about sharpening a makeshift blade she'd crafted out of a kitchen knife and a steel pipe. It was a crude thing, the handle of the original knife jutted out the back of the bend in the pipe, creating a hammer-like edge.

"How'd you make that?" Sonic asked curiously, inspecting the weapon with mild interest, "I don't see any glue or tape."

Rouge smiled, "I found a blowtorch and welded it. Took me three tries to get it to stay, but it's strong enough to do some damage to the freaks outside." The blue hedgehog whistled appreciatively, earning a harsh 'hush' from the dark soldier who stood guard.

"Big Blue, you got some grease on your muzzle." Rouge teased, "The world is ending and yet you still manage to get your food all over your face." The teen's face turned red and he reached around for something to wipe his face on.

"Hey, It's not like I'm trying to be messy." he huffed, ears twitching. Sonic seemed to pause for a moment, ears still twitching and turning. It was like he could hear something they couldn't. His head cocked slightly as he stared off into the corner of the store.

"Faker, what is it?" Shadow whispered, brick still clutched in one hand. The blue speedster opened his mouth to respond, but nothing came out. Rouge was very put off by his behavior, turning to Shadow for answers.

"What's going on, Shadow?"

The dark male grunted, "He's immune to the disease, and for whatever reason it affects him weirdly. He can… communicate, to some degree, with the infected." He crouched to examine Sonic with narrowed red orbs, "but this behavior is new, he's never zoned like this."

Sonic stood very suddenly, "We need to hide. Now." his voice held urgency and a touch of fear. When Shadow reached to put out the fire, Sonic seemed to snap, "Leave it! We don't have time..." he seemed to zone again, ears twitching. Rouge took to the air, flying up to the ceiling to examine it.

"Shadow, the ceiling here is made up of metal plates, there's a crawlspace on top of them."

"Let's get up there then." a screech from nearby made the dark warrior snatch Sonic up in his arms and climb a shelf, handing the unresistant blue hedgehog to Rouge. "Hurry."

The scramble to hide had saved them, barely. A stampede of pales charged through the halls, swamping each store as they went in their search for the survivors. The noise they made was unlike anything Rouge had heard before, the female was squeezed between an air duct and the still unresponsive blue hedgehog. Holding her breath in anxiety, she laid a charcoal colored wing over his back hoping to bring him out of this…. Stupor. He didn't do anything aside from cock his head again, still staring straight forward.

Shadow peered down at the swarm through a crack in the ceiling, watching as the first who entered the store were knocked aside by the rest of them, piling and tumbling over each other in hopes to be the first who found a healthy meal. The remnants of the bird, still hanging over the crackling fire, were gone almost instantly as the Swarm devoured it. Pales tripped over their bags and blankets, screeching as they searched every corner.

"They can smell us..." Sonic murmured in a light, dazed manner, "They're looking for us… There's so many it's so hard to hear… what she's saying..."


End file.
